In this series we’ll take a fresh look at resources and how they are used. We’ll go beyond natural resources like air and water to look at how efficiency in raw materials can boost the bottom line and help the environment. We’ll also examine the circular economy and design for reuse — with an eye toward honoring those resources we do have.

While changes at home can’t solve the many environmental crises we face today, they can sure help. Through this series, we’ll explore how initiatives like curbside compost pick-up, rebates on compost bins, and efficient appliances can help families reduce their impact without breaking the bank.

Despite decades -- centuries even -- of global efforts, slavery can still be found not just on the high seas, but around the world and throughout various supply chains. Through this series on forced labor, sponsored by C&A Foundation, we’ll explore many different types of bonded and forced labor and highlight industries where this practice is alive and well today.

In this series we examine how companies should respond to national controversy like police violence and the BLM movement to best support employees and how can companies work to improve equality by increasing diversity in their ranks directly.

Compost is often considered a panacea for the United States’ tremendous food waste problem. Indeed, composting is a much better option than putting spoiled food in a garbage can destined for a landfill.

The ideas ranged from local, sustainably-sourced parade supplies to a date rape drug detector to a teacher training program that aims to put more African-American males at the head of the classroom. Whether for-profit or nonprofit, all contestants targeted a specific social and/or environmental issue plaguing New Orleans. As the city continues its economic rebound eight years after the devastation of Katrina, entrepreneurs of all kinds have emerged as a critical force for job creation and improvements in healthcare and education.

Here are a few of the next crop of up-and-coming change-makers in the Big Easy:

The group behind Crescent City Connections (CCC) walked away with $5,000 for their voluntourism startup that connects visitors to New Orleans with local NGOs. An estimated 9 million people visit the city each year and spend a total of $6BN. By charging $60 per head for a full-day volunteer experience (including food), CCC aims to capture some of that tourism revenue (and the lingering desire to help rebuild New Orleans) to bring manpower and much-needed funds to local NGOs.

Ms. Bechet and her small group of volunteers run the Center for Restorative Approaches (CRA), an in-school conflict resolution training and consulting that teaches students a simple but often forgotten lesson — “if you harm someone, you have an obligation to repair that harm.” CRA uses a train-the-trainer model to establish school leaders over a two year-period. Since their launch, demand has been so high that they have not been able to keep up. With the ultimate goal of helping to stem the school-to-prison pipeline, CRA has had incredible success with pilot customers, including a 74 percent reduction in suspensions at one school in just one year.

After witnessing the difficulties firsthand of patients with low access to quality affordable healthcare during a summer internship with a mobile rural eye clinic in India, Ms. Das started noticing the same issues in New Orleans and became inspired. “Why am I traveling halfway around the world when I can work on the same problems right here,” noted Ms. Das, who is originally from India. She teamed up with Ms. Ashary, who hails from neighboring Pakistan, to launch NOLA Eye Care — a mobile volunteer-run eye clinic that will conduct free eye screening and help uninsured patients obtain prescription eye glasses for as little as $25.

Lauren is a freelance writer based in New Orleans. She has covered a wide array of geographies and topics, from economic and business developments in the Arabian Gulf, to arts and culture in Turkey, to social enterprise and the microfinance sector in Southeast Asia. She's also worked on the business side of things, with two years experience in strategy and marketing at a large renewable energy firm. Keep in touch: @laurenzanolli and lauren.zanolli@gmail.com.